Initiation Mission: Cleansing
by Xephinetsa
Summary: Xanthium receives a dispatch from Lucy, the Commander of the Keyguards, sending him to Deep Jungle to root out the Heartless infestation. Find out more about the Keyguards at NeoKeyguards on deviantART.


Xanthium warmed his hands by the fire of a lit brazier; it was a cold night and most of the people residing in Radiant Garden had retired to their homes long ago.  
But he had not.  
He didn't know why, but he felt he needed to be ready for something that was going to happen; something significant to him. He glanced up at the full moon, slightly obscured by dark clouds drifting by. _Rain will come,_ he thought to himself, a small smile upon his lips. Ever since childhood, he had loved stormy weather; he used to run outside and allow himself to be soaked by the rain, before his mother dutifully dragged him back inside and dried him off, mumbling about catching his death. It had rained when she passed away, and for that reason he also felt sadness creeping into his heart for the oncoming storm. He was pulled from his silent reminiscing by the approach of booted feet thudding on the cobblestones. A man dressed in courier's apparel ran up to him, pulling out of his satchel a single white envelope with a red seal. "Xanthium?" he asked.  
"I am."  
"This is for you. I think it's important." He held out the envelope and Xanth took it, nodding at the courier as he departed. He flipped it over and observed the wax seal, recognising the crowned heart immediately. "The Keyguards," he breathed, wondering what the occasion could be. He broke the seal and unfolded the letter, his eyes scanning the words inscribed in neat, flowing script.

_ Deep Jungle has many different kinds of exotic plants to offer, but now it seems darkness has infested them. We received information about plants coming to life and attacking people. No doubt the Heartless have something to do with this. Go to Deep Jungle and take care of the Heartless plants._

—_Lucy_

He returned the paper to the envelope, carefully creasing the folds. A soft breeze blew in from the south, sending a shiver down his spine. "I accept."

His ship touched down in a small clearing deep within the dense jungle, the high branches swaying softly at the approach. Xanth switched off the engine and unbuckled the belts securing his torso and waist, rising from the pilot's chair. A panel beeped for his attention, indicating that the boarding ramp was ready to be released. He punched in a code and the ramp hissed open, slowly descending until it touched the ground. He exited the ship and entered another code to close the ramp behind him. The humid atmosphere hit him like a wall, greatly different to the cool interior of his ship he just left. He scanned the clearing and the dark rain forest beyond, no sign of Heartless infestation as of yet, but he suspected it would become evident as he ventured further amidst the trees. Calling _Virulent_ to his hand, he moved through the lush undergrowth and disappeared into the jungle.

The trees closed in around him, what little sunlight that was able to filter through from above seemed washed out, drowned by the engulfing darkness. The strong scent of pine was mixed with corruption; no longer pure, tainted by the presence of Heartless. All senses on alert, he crept through the forest, prepared for an attack. He took small steps, his soft leather boots making not a sound on the forest floor. Without warning, a vine shot out from the bushes, wrapping around his ankle and throwing him to the ground. He lifted his Keyblade and severed the vine's grip on him, rolling away to recover from the sudden attack. All at once, jungle came to life; plants creeping toward him, moving erratically so their movements could not be anticipated. He slashed at the Heartless-infested plants, leaping to evade a vine poised to knock him off balance, and narrowly avoided a falling tree by rolling beneath it. A thorned vine jumped out, drawing a long scratch across his cheek that immediately drew blood. He pierced the little yellow-eyed creatures that emerged from the darkness with his Keyblade, always on the move to avoid becoming trapped.

All the while the heart of the infestation watched him, waiting for the time to strike. He ran up the trunk of a tree, flipping back onto a branch and jumping over the head of a Heartless, releasing poison through his fingertips into the creature below. He landed with a thud and stood completely motionless, waiting for the creatures to close in. With a seemingly harmless movement, he breathed poisonous gas into the horde of oncoming Heartless, watching them drop like flies and disperse into dark clouds before dissolving into nothing. The jungle was still, the air thick with the sudden silence. A dark presence loomed over him and he turned, narrowly dodging a spray of thorns shot out by the heart of darkness. He immediately recognised the being before him as the leader and knew what he had to do.  
He had to kill it to remove the corruption plaguing Deep Jungle.

Ducking under an extended vine, he slashed at the Heartless mother, his efforts having little effect. A thick branch shot out from the darkness, propelling him backwards a tree trunk. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, and he fell to the forest floor, bruised and winded. Before he could properly recover, the Heartless lashed out again, this time grabbing hold of his leg and launching him upwards into the treetops. As he fell, he took hold of a branch, his body hanging limply above the ground, saved from the fatal fall by the smallest of margins. A sickening crack resounded through the jungle as the branch, his lifeline, began to break under his weight. He struggled desperately to grab at the limb above, but it was just out of his reach. The wood snapped and he fell again, managing to slow his descent by bracing his feet against another bough, only for it to shatter as well. He hit the ground hard, winded once more by the impact. As he staggered to his feet, his aching body screamed in protest but he gritted his teeth and ignored the pain as best he could. He knew he couldn't take much more battering before he collapsed, so he was determined to end the fight quickly. Calling _Virulent_ back to his hand, he swung his arm back, releasing the Keyblade into a spinning arc toward the mother Heartless.

The poisoned blade sliced through the Heartless' chest and lodged itself into the trunk of a nearby tree. The creature stumbled back, but was not yet defeated. Xanth ran at it with all the speed he could muster and conjured a spinning orb of poison to finish it off. He launched it right at the heart and watched with satisfaction as the dark creature screeched loudly, piercing the air with its last screams, and then was gone in a puff of smoke. He took a moment to lean against a tree for support, taking in painful breaths of air. He retrieved Virulent and examined his wounds, gently probing his body for any broken bones. Apart from being battered, bruised and bleeding, his bones seemed to be intact, if slightly fractured, and he knew his injuries would heal in time. He could already notice a change in the atmosphere, the trees seemed to be healthier, the air sweeter. "Well, that was more difficult than I anticipated," he muttered, making his way painfully back to his ship. "But at least the job is done."


End file.
